By@zantine text-type

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1
Codex Vaticanus 354 S (028), an uncial codex with a Byzantine text, assigned to the Family K

In textual criticism of the New Testament, the Byzantine text-type (also called Majority
Text, Traditional Text, Ecclesiastical Text, Constantinopolitan Text, Antiocheian Text,
or Syrian Text) is one of the main text types. It is the form found in the largest number of
surviving manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. The New Testament text of the Eastern
Orthodox Church, the Patriarchal Text, as well as those utilized in the lectionaries, are based
[1]
on this text-type. Whilst varying in at least 1,830 places, it also underlies the Textus
Receptus Greek text used for most Reformation-era (Protestant) translations of the New
Testament into vernacular languages. Modern translations (since 1900) mainly use Eclectic
editions that conform more often to the Alexandrian text-type.

The Byzantine text is also found in a few modern Eastern Orthodox editions, as the
Byzantine textual tradition has continued in the Eastern Orthodox Church into the present
time. The text used by the Orthodox Church is supported by late minuscule manuscripts. It is
commonly accepted as standard Byzantine text.
 Contents

● 1
● Manuscripts
○ 1.1
○ Notable manuscripts
○
○ 1.2
○ Other manuscripts
○
○ 1.3
○ Distribution by century
○
● 2
● Characteristics
●
● 3
● Origin
●
● 4
● The Textus Receptus
●
● 5
● Modern critical texts
●
● 6
● See also
○ 6.1
○ Families of the Byzantine text-type
○
○ 6.2
○ Other text-types
○
○ 6.3
○ Critical text
○
● 7
● Notes
●
● 8
● Further reading
●
● 9
● External links
●

Manuscripts[edit]
 Codex Alexandrinus, the oldest Greek witness of the Byzantine text in the Gospels, close to the Family
Π (Luke 12:54-13:4)

We have no early witness discoveries of either the Byzantine Text type or the Alexandrian
Text type manuscripts that originate from where the original New Testament scriptures were
[citation needed]
either authored or initially sent to, which was the greater Byzantine area.

The earliest Church Father to witness to a Byzantine text-type in substantial New Testament
quotations is John Chrysostom (c. 349 – 407); although the fragmentary surviving works of
[2]
Asterius the Sophist († 341) have also been considered to conform to the Byzantine text,
and the incomplete surviving translation of Wulfila (d. 383) into Gothic is often thought to
derive from the Byzantine text type or an intermediary between the Byzantine and Western
[3]
text types. Chrysostom and Asterius used text only in 75% agreed with the standard
Byzantine text. The second earliest translation to witness to a Greek base conforming
generally to the Byzantine text in the Gospels is the Syriac Peshitta (though it has many
[4] [5]
Alexandrian and Western readings); usually dated to the beginning of the 5th century;
although in respect of several much contested readings, such as Mark 1:2 and John 1:18,
the Peshitta rather supports the Alexandrian witnesses. Dating from the fourth century, and
hence possibly earlier than the Peshitta, is the Ethiopic version of the Gospels; best
represented by the surviving fifth and sixth century manuscripts of the Garima Gospels and
classified by Rochus Zuurmond as "early Byzantine". Zuurmond notes that, especially in the
Gospel of John, the form of the early Byzantine text found in the Ethiopic Gospels is quite
different from the later Greek Majority Text, and agrees in a number of places with Papyrus
[6]
66.
Amongst the bulk of later New Testament manuscripts it is generally possible to demonstrate
a clear Byzantine majority reading for each variant; and a Greek New Testament text based
on these majority readings—"The Majority Text"—has been produced by Zane C. Hodges
and Arthur L. Farstad, although this text does not correspond to any one particular
manuscript.

Notable manuscripts[edit]

Codex Boreelianus, Byzantine manuscript, member of the Family E

Sign Name Date Content

A (02) Codex Alexandrinus 5th Gospels

C (04) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus 5th Gospels (mixed Byzantine/Alexandrian)

W (032) Codex Washingtonianus 5th Matt 1-28; Luke 8:13–24:53

Q (026) Codex Guelferbytanus B 5th Luke–John

061 Uncial 061 5th 1 Tim 3:15-16; 4:1-3; 6:2-8

e Codex Basilensis 8th Gospels

E (07)

e Codex Boreelianus 9th Gospels

F (09)

e Codex Seidelianus I 9th Gospels

G (011)

e Codex Seidelianus II 9th Gospels

H (013)

L (020) Codex Angelicus 9th Acts, CE, Pauline Epistles

 V (031) Codex Mosquensis II 9th Gospels

Y (034) Codex Macedoniensis 9th Gospels

Θ (038) Codex Koridethi 9th Gospels (except Mark)

S (028) Codex Vaticanus 354 949 Gospels

1241 Minuscule 1241 12th only Acts

1424 Minuscule 1424 9th/10th NT (except Mark)

Other manuscripts[edit]
Papyri

73
𝔓

Uncials

Codex Mutinensis (Uncial 014), Codex Cyprius, Codex Mosquensis I, Campianus,

Petropolitanus Purp., Sinopensis, Guelferbytanus A, Guelferbytanus B, Nitriensis, Nanianus,
Monacensis, Tischendorfianus IV, Sangallensis (except Mark), Tischendorfianus III,
Petropolitanus, Rossanensis, Beratinus, Dionysiou, Vaticanus 2066 (Uncial 046), Uncial
047, 049, 052, 053, 054, 056, 061, 063, 064, 065, 069 (?), 093 (Acts), 0103, 0104, 0105,
0116, 0120, 0133, 0134, 0135, 0136, 0142, 0151, 0197, 0211, 0246, 0248, 0253, 0255,
0257, 0265, 0269 (mixed), 0272, 0273 (?).

Minuscules

[7]
More than 80% of minuscules represent the Byzantine text.

2, 3, 6 (Gospels and Acts), 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28 (except Mark), 29,
30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58, 60, 61
(Gospels and Acts), 63, 65, 66, 68, 69 (except Paul), 70, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 82, 83,
84, 89, 90, 92, 93, 95, 97, 98, 99, 100, 103, 104 (except Paul), 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111,
112, 116, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137,
138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 155, 156, 159, 162, 167,
169, 170, 171, 177, 180 (except Acts), 181 (only Rev.), 182, 183, 185, 186, 187, 189, 190,
192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 (Epistles), 206 (except
Cath.), 207, 208, 209 (except Gospels and Rev.), 210, 212, 214, 215, 217, 218 (except
Cath. and Paul), 219, 220, 221, 223, 224, 226, 227, 231, 232, 235, 236, 237, 240, 243, 244,
245, 246, 247, 248, 250, 254 (except Cath.), 256 (except Paul), 259, 260, 261, 262, 263
(except Paul), 264, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 272, 275, 276, 277, 278a, 278b, 280, 281, 282,
283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 297, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305,
306, 308, 309, 313, 314, 316, 319, 320, 324, 325, 327, 328, 329, 330 (except Paul), 331,
334, 335, 337, 342, 343, 344, 347, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360,
361, 362, 364, 365 (except Paul), 366, 367, 368, 369, 371, 373, 374, 375, 376, 378 (except
Cath.), 379, 380, 381, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 390, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 398 (except
Cath.), 399, 401, 402, 404, 405, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 417, 418, 419,
422, 425, 426, 429 (Paul and Rev.), 431 (except Acts and Cath.), 432, 438, 439, 443, 445,
446, 448, 449, 450, 451 (except Paul), 452, 454, 457, 458, 459 (except Paul), 461, 465, 466,
469, 470, 471, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 483, 484, 485, 490, 491,
492, 493, 494, 496, 497, 498, 499, 500, 501, 502, 504, 505, 506, 507, 509, 510, 511, 512,
514, 516, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522 (except Acts and Cath.), 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, 528,
529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 538, 540, 541, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551, 553, 554,
556, 558, 559, 560, 564, 568, 570, 571, 573, 574, 575, 577, 578, 580, 583, 584, 585, 586,
587, 588, 592, 593, 594, 596, 597, 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 607, 610 (in Cath.), 614 (in
Cath.), 616, 618, 620, 622, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 632, 633, 634, 637, 638, 639, 640, 642
(except Cath.), 644, 645, 648, 649, 650, 651, 655, 656, 657, 660, 662, 663, 664, 666, 668,
669, 672, 673, 674, 677, 680, 684, 685, 686, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 694, 696, 698, 699,
705, 707, 708, 711, 714, 715, 717, 718, 721, 724, 725, 727, 729, 730, 731, 734, 736, 737,
739, 741, 745, 746, 748, 750, 754, 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 760, 761, 762, 763, 764, 765,
768, 769, 770, 773, 774, 775, 777, 778, 779, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 789, 790,
793, 794, 797, 798, 799, 801, 802, 806, 808, 809, 811, 818, 819, 820, 824, 825, 830, 831,
833, 834, 835, 836, 839, 840, 841, 843, 844, 845, 846, 848, 852, 853, 857, 858, 860, 861,
862, 864, 866, 867, 868, 870, 877, 880, 884, 886, 887, 889, 890, 893, 894, 896, 897, 898,
900, 901, 902, 904, 905, 906, 910, 911, 912, 914, 916, 917 (Paul), 918 (Paul), 919, 920,
921, 922, 924, 928, 936, 937, 938, 942, 943, 944, 945 (Acts and Cath.), 950, 951, 952, 953,
955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 967, 969, 970, 971, 973, 975,
977, 978, 980, 981, 987, 988, 991, 993, 994, 995, 997, 998, 999, 1000, 1003, 1004, 1006
(Gospels), 1007, 1008, 1010 (?), 1011, 1013, 1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1019, 1020,
1023, 1024, 1025, 1026, 1028, 1030, 1031, 1032, 1033, 1036, 1044, 1045, 1046, 1050,
1052, 1053, 1054, 1055, 1056, 1057, 1059, 1060, 1061, 1062, 1063, 1065, 1067 (except
Cath.), 1068, 1069, 1070, 1072, 1073, 1074, 1075, 1076, 1077, 1078, 1080, 1081, 1083,
1085, 1087, 1088, 1089, 1094, 1099, 1100, 1101, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1107, 1110, 1112,
1119, 1121, 1123, 1129, 1148, 1149, 1150, 1161, 1168, 1169, 1171, 1172, 1173, 1174,
1176, 1177, 1185, 1186, 1187, 1188, 1189, 1190, 1191, 1193, 1196, 1197, 1198, 1199,
1200, 1201, 1202, 1203, 1205, 1206, 1207, 1208, 1209, 1211, 1212, 1213, 1214, 1215,
1217, 1218, 1220, 1221, 1222, 1223, 1224, 1225, 1226, 1227, 1231, 1241 (only Acts), 1251
(?), 1252, 1254, 1255, 1260, 1264, 1277, 1283, 1285, 1292 (except Cath.), 1296, 1297,
1298, 1299, 1300, 1301, 1303, 1305, 1309, 1310, 1312, 1313, 1314, 1315, 1316, 1317,
1318, 1319 (except Paul), 1320, 1323, 1324, 1328, 1330, 1331, 1334, 1339, 1340, 1341,
1343, 1345, 1347, 1350a, 1350b, 1351, 1352a, 1354, 1355, 1356, 1357, 1358, 1359 (except
Cath.), 1360, 1362, 1364, 1367, 1370, 1373, 1374, 1377, 1384, 1385, 1392, 1395, 1398
(except Paul), 1400, 1409 (Gospels and Paul), 1417, 1437, 1438, 1444, 1445, 1447, 1448
(except Cath.), 1449, 1452, 1470, 1476, 1482, 1483, 1492, 1503, 1504, 1506 (Gospels),
1508, 1513, 1514, 1516, 1517, 1520, 1521, 1523 (Paul), 1539, 1540, 1542b (only Luke),
1543, 1545, 1547, 1548, 1556, 1566, 1570, 1572, 1573 (except Paul?), 1577, 1583, 1594,
1597, 1604, 1605, 1607, 1613, 1614, 1617, 1618, 1619, 1622, 1628, 1636, 1637, 1649,
1656, 1662, 1668, 1672, 1673, 1683, 1693, 1701, 1704 (except Acts), 1714, 1717, 1720,
1723, 1725, 1726, 1727, 1728, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1736, 1737, 1738, 1740,
1741, 1742, 1743, 1745, 1746, 1747, 1748, 1749, 1750, 1752, 1754, 1755a, 1755b, 1756,
1757, 1759, 1761, 1762, 1763, 1767, 1768, 1770, 1771, 1772, 1800, 1821, 1826, 1828,
1829, 1835, 1841 (except Rev.), 1846 (only Acts), 1847, 1849, 1851, 1852 (only in Rev.),
1854 (except Rev.), 1855, 1856, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1869, 1870, 1872, 1874
(except Paul), 1876, 1877 (except Paul), 1878, 1879, 1880, 1882, 1883, 1888, 1889, 1891
(except Acts), 1897, 1899, 1902, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918,
1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932,
1933, 1934, 1936,1937, 1938, 1941, 1946, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957,
1958, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988,
1992, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2048, 2096, 2098, 2111, 2119, 2125,
2126, 2127 (except Paul), 2132, 2133, 2135, 2138 (only in Rev.), 2139, 2140, 2141, 2142,
2144, 2160, 2172, 2173, 2175, 2176, 2177, 2178, 2181, 2183, 2187, 2189, 2191, 2199,
2218, 2221, 2236, 2261, 2266, 2267, 2273, 2275, 2277, 2281, 2289, 2295, 2300, 2303,
2306, 2307, 2309, 2310, 2311, 2352, 2355, 2356, 2373, 2376, 2378, 2381, 2382, 2386,
2389, 2390, 2406, 2407, 2409, 2414, 2415, 2418, 2420, 2422, 2423, 2424, 2425, 2426,
2430, 2431, 2437, 2441, 2442, 2445, 2447, 2450, 2451, 2452, 2454, 2455, 2457, 2458,
2459, 2466, 2468, 2475, 2479, 2483, 2484, 2490, 2491, 2496, 2497, 2499, 2500, 2501,
2502, 2503, 2507, 2532, 2534, 2536, 2539, 2540, 2545, 2547, 2549, 2550, 2552, 2554,
2555, 2558, 2559, 2562, 2563, 2567, 2571, 2572, 2573, 2578, 2579, 2581, 2584, 2587,
2593, 2600, 2619, 2624, 2626, 2627, 2629, 2631, 2633, 2634, 2635, 2636, 2637, 2639,
2645, 2646, 2649, 2650, 2651, 2653, 2656, 2657, 2658, 2660, 2661, 2665, 2666, 2671,
2673, 2675, 2679, 2690, 2691, 2696, 2698, 2699, 2700, 2704, 2711, 2712, 2716, 2721,
2722, 2723, 2724, 2725, 2727, 2729, 2746, 2760, 2761, 2765, 2767, 2773, 2774, 2775,
[8][9]
2779, 2780, 2781, 2782, 2783, 2784, 2785, 2787, 2790, 2791, 2794, 2815, 2817, 2829.
[10]

Distribution by century[edit]
9th century

461, 1080, 1862, 2142, 2500

9th/10th

399

10th

14, 27, 29, 34, 36e, 63, 82, 92, 100, 135, 144, 151, 221, 237, 262, 278b, 344, 364, 371, 405,
411, 450, 454, 457, 478, 481, 564, 568, 584, 602, 605, 626, 627, 669, 920, 1055, 1076,
1077, 1078, 1203, 1220, 1223, 1225, 1347, 1351, 1357, 1392, 1417, 1452, 1661, 1720,
1756, 1829, 1851, 1880, 1905, 1920, 1927, 1954, 1997, 1998, 2125, 2373, 2414, 2545,
2722, 2790

10th/11th

994, 1073, 1701

11th

7p, 8, 12, 20, 23, 24, 25, 37, 39, 40, 50, 65, 68, 75, 77, 83, 89, 98, 108, 112, 123, 125, 126,
127, 133, 137, 142, 143, 148, 150, 177, 186, 194, 195, 197, 200, 207, 208, 210, 212, 215,
236, 250, 259, 272, 276, 277, 278a, 300, 301, 302, 314, 325, 331, 343, 350, 352, 354, 357,
360, 375, 376, 422, 458, 465, 466, 470, 474, 475, 476, 490, 491, 497, 504, 506, 507, 516,
526, 527, 528, 530, 532, 547, 548, 549, 560, 583, 585, 596, 607, 624, 625, 638, 639, 640,
651, 672, 699, 707, 708, 711, 717, 746, 754, 756, 773, 785, 809, 831, 870, 884, 887, 894,
901, 910, 919, 937, 942, 943, 944, 964, 965, 991, 1014, 1028, 1045, 1054, 1056, 1074,
1110, 1123, 1168, 1174, 1187, 1207, 1209, 1211, 1212, 1214, 1221, 1222, 1244, 1277,
1300, 1312, 1314, 1317, 1320, 1324, 1340, 1343, 1373, 1384, 1438, 1444, 1449, 1470,
1483, 1513, 1514, 1517, 1520, 1521, 1545, 1556, 1570, 1607, 1668, 1672, 1693, 1730,
1734, 1738, 1770, 1828, 1835, 1847, 1849, 1870, 1878, 1879, 1888, 1906, 1907, 1916,
1919, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1946, 1955, 1980, 1981, 1982, 2001,
2007, 2098, 2132, 2133, 2144, 2172, 2176, 2181, 2183, 2199, 2275, 2277, 2281, 2386,
2295, 2307, 2381, 2386, 2430, 2442, 2447, 2451, 2458, 2468, 2475, 2539, 2547, 2559,
2563, 2567, 2571, 2587, 2637, 2649, 2661, 2723, 2746, 2760, 2782, 2787

2306 (composite of parts from the 11th to the 14th centuries)

11th/12th

665, 657, 660, 1013, 1188, 1191, 1309, 1358, 1340, 1566, 2389, 2415, 2784

12th

2e, 2ap, 3, 9, 11, 15, 21, 32, 44, 46, 49, 57, 73, 76, 78, 80, 84, 95, 97, 105, 110, 111, 116,
119, 120, 122, 129, 132, 134, 138, 139, 140, 146, 156, 159, 162, 183, 187, 193, 196, 199,
202, 203, 217, 224, 226, 231, 240, 244, 245, 247, 261, 264, 267, 268, 269, 270, 275, 280,
281, 282, 297, 304, 306, 319, 320, 329, 334, 337, 347, 351, 353, 355, 356, 366, 374, 387,
392, 395, 396, 401, 407, 408, 419, 438, 439, 443, 452, 471, 485, 499, 502, 505, 509, 510,
514, 518, 520, 524, 529, 531, 535, 538, 550, 551, 556, 570, 571, 580, 587, 618, 620, 622,
637, 650, 662, 673, 674, 688, 692, 721, 736, 748, 750, 760, 765, 768, 770, 774, 777, 778,
779, 782, 787, 793, 799, 808, 843, 857, 860, 862, 877, 893, 896, 902, 911, 916, 922, 924,
936, 950, 967, 971, 973, 975, 980, 987, 993, 998, 1007, 1046, 1081, 1083, 1085, 1112,
1169, 1176, 1186, 1190, 1193, 1197, 1198, 1199, 1200, 1217, 1218, 1224, 1231, 1240,
1301, 1315, 1316, 1318, 1323, 1350a, 1355, 1360, 1364, 1375, 1385, 1437, 1539, 1583,
1673, 1683, 1714, 1737, 1752, 1754, 1755a, 1755b, 1800, 1821, 1826, 1872, 1889, 1914,
1915, 1917, 1926, 1951, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1986, 1988, 2013, 2096, 2126, 2135, 2139,
2173, 2177, 2189, 2191, 2289, 2282, 2426, 2437, 2445, 2459, 2490, 2491, 2507, 2536,
2549, 2550, 2552, 2562, 2639, 2650, 2657, 2671, 2700, 2712, 2725, 2727, 2781, 2785,
2791, 2794

632 and 1227 (composites of parts from the 12th to the 14th centuries)

12th/13th

905, 906, 1310, 1341, 1897, 2311

13th

52, 55, 60, 74, 107, 121, 128, 136, 141, 147, 167, 170, 192, 198, 204, 219, 220, 227, 248,
260, 284, 291, 292, 293, 303, 305, 309, 327, 328, 342, 359, 361, 362, 384, 388, 390, 410,
449, 469, 473, 477, 479, 482, 483, 484, 496, 500, 501, 511, 519, 533, 534, 546, 553, 554,
558, 573, 574, 592, 593, 597, 601, 663, 666, 677, 684, 685, 689, 691, 696, 705, 714, 715,
725, 729, 737, 757, 759, 775, 811, 820, 825, 830, 835, 840, 897, 898, 900, 912, 914, 966,
969, 970, 981, 995, 997, 999, 1000, 1004, 1008, 1011, 1015, 1016, 1031, 1050, 1052, 1053,
1057, 1069, 1070, 1072, 1087, 1089, 1094, 1103, 1107, 1129, 1148, 1149, 1150, 1161,
1177, 1201, 1205, 1206, 1208, 1213, 1215, 1226, 1238, 1255, 1285, 1339, 1352a, 1400,
1594, 1597, 1604, 1622, 1717, 1717, 1728, 1731, 1736, 1740, 1742, 1772, 1855, 1858,
1922, 1938, 1941, 1956, 1972, 1992, 2111, 2119, 2140, 2141, 2236, 2353, 2376, 2380,
2390, 2409, 2420, 2423, 2425, 2457, 2479, 2483, 2502, 2534, 2540, 2558, 2568, 2584,
2600, 2624, 2627, 2631, 2633, 2645, 2646, 2658, 2660, 2665, 2670, 2696, 2699, 2724,
2761

13th/14th

266, 656, 668, 1334, 2499, 2578

14th

18, 45, 53, 54, 66, 109, 155, 171, 182, 185, 190, 201, 214, 223, 232, 235, 243, 246, 290,
308, 316, 324, 358, 367, 369, 381, 386, 393, 394, 402, 404, 409, 412, 413, 414, 415, 417,
425, 426, 480, 492, 494, 498, 512, 521, 523, 540, 577, 578, 586, 588, 594, 600, 603, 604,
628, 633, 634, 644, 645, 648, 649, 680, 686, 690, 698, 718, 727, 730, 731, 734, 741, 758,
761, 762, 763, 764, 769, 781, 783, 784, 786, 789, 790, 794, 797, 798, 802, 806, 818, 819,
824, 833, 834, 836, 839, 845, 846, 848, 858, 864, 866a, 867, 889, 890, 904, 921, 928, 938,
951, 952, 953, 959, 960, 977, 978, 1020, 1023, 1032, 1033, 1036, 1061, 1062, 1075, 1099,
1100, 1119, 1121, 1185, 1189, 1196, 1234, 1235, 1236, 1248, 1249, 1252, 1254, 1283,
1328, 1330, 1331, 1345, 1350b, 1356, 1377, 1395, 1445, 1447, 1476, 1492, 1503, 1504,
1516, 1543, 1547, 1548, 1572, 1577, 1605, 1613, 1614, 1619, 1637, 1723, 1725, 1726,
1732, 1733, 1741, 1746, 1747, 1761, 1762, 1771, 1856, 1859, 1899, 1902, 1918, 1928,
1929, 1952, 1975, 2085, 2160, 2261, 2266, 2273, 2303, 2309, 2310, 2355, 2356, 2406,
2407, 2431, 2441, 2454, 2466, 2484, 2503, 2593, 2626, 2629, 2634, 2651, 2653, 2666,
2668, 2679, 2698, 2716, 2765, 2767, 2773, 2774, 2775, 2780, 2783

15th

30, 47, 58, 70, 149, 285, 286, 287, 288, 313, 368, 373, 379, 380, 385, 418, 432, 446, 448,
493, 525, 541, 575, 616, 664, 694, 739, 801, 841, 844, 853, 880, 955, 958, 961, 962, 1003,
1017, 1018, 1024, 1026, 1059, 1060, 1105, 1202, 1232, 1233, 1247, 1250, 1260, 1264,
1482, 1508, 1617, 1626, 1628, 1636, 1649, 1656, 1745, 1750, 1757, 1763, 1767, 1876,
1882, 1948, 1957, 1958, 1964, 1978, 2003, 2175, 2178, 2221, 2352, 2418, 2452, 2455,
2554, 2673, 2675, 2691, 2704, 2729

15th/16th

99, 1367

16th

90, 335, 445, 724, 745, 755, 867, 957, 1019, 1030, 1065, 1068, 1088, 1239, 1362, 1370,
1374, 1618, 1749, 1768, 1861, 1883, 1911, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1937, 1979, 2009, 2218,
2378, 2422, 2496, 2501, 2532, 2555, 2572, 2573, 2579, 2635, 2636, 2690, 2711, 2721,
2779

16th/17th

1371

17th and later

289, 868, 956, 963, 988, 1044, 1063, 1101, 1104, 1303, 1748, 1869, 2267, 2450, 2497,
[11]
2581, 2619, 2656.

Characteristics[edit]
See also: Textual variants in the New Testament

Compared to Alexandrian text-type manuscripts, the distinct Byzantine readings tend to

show a greater tendency toward smooth and well-formed Greek, they display fewer
instances of textual variation between parallel Synoptic Gospel passages, and they are less
[12]
likely to present contradictory or "difficult" issues of exegesis.

Origin[edit]
In order to displace the Textus Receptus (see the following section) from its initially
prominent position among printed editions of the Greek New Testament, later textual
scholars of the critical text persuasion saw the need for a thoroughgoing theory of the
transmission of the text that could effectively disregard the overwhelmingly numerical
superiority of the Byzantine text which formed its base. This Wescott and Hort's Introduction
accomplished in masterful detail (over the course of 600 pages) as the culmination of 28
years of laborious effort on their part.
They summarize the problem early on in their work (p. 45) as follows: "A theoretical
presumption indeed remains that a majority of extant documents is more likely to represent a
majority of ancestral documents at each stage of transmission than vice versa." In the
discussion that follows, they reason that the "incalculable and fortuitous complexity of the
causes here at work" in the transmission of the text leads them to the conclusion that "every
ground for expecting 'a priori' any sort of correspondence of numerical proportion between

existing documents and their less numerous ancestors in any one age falls to the
[13]
ground."

Among those modern scholars who believe that the Byzantine text is only a secondary
witness to the original text of the autographs, there is some debate concerning the origin of
the Byzantine text and the reasons for its widespread existence and use. The suggestions
that have been put forward are:

● That Lucian of Antioch used his text critical skills to produce a recension. (Jerome
makes reference to Lucian's recension of the Old Testament only. Wescott and
Hort favored this theory.)
● That Constantine I paid for the wide distribution of manuscripts which came from
a common source. (There are several references by Eusebius of Caesarea to
Constantine paying for manuscript production).
● That after the Western Roman Empire stopped using Greek, and because of
Barbarian and Muslim invasions, eliminating the possibility for either Jerusalem or
Caesarea to exercise any further influence on the text of the Greek New
[14]
Testament, the only church to actively preserve the Greek text was the
Eastern Orthodox Church, which exercised central control from the See of
Constantinople and withstood the Muslims until the 15th century. (See also State
church of the Roman Empire.)
The standard Byzantine text used by the Eastern, Greek-speaking Greek Orthodox Church
is supported by late minuscule manuscripts dating after the 4th century. However, some are
earlier and a few papyri are also classified here. The early Byzantine text is near to the
Alexandrian text in that it differs from the late Byzantine text in roughly 3000 places. Kurt
Aland did not consider early Byzantine families such as E and Π to be classified as
Byzantine manuscripts. He placed some of them into Category III of the Greek New
Testament manuscripts. Aland placed all manuscripts with standard Byzantine text into
Category V.

The Textus Receptus[edit]

The first printed edition of the Greek New Testament was completed by Erasmus and
published by Johann Froben of Basel on March 1, 1516 (Novum Instrumentum omne). Due
to the pressure of his publisher to bring their edition to market before the competing
Complutensian Polyglot, Erasmus based his work on around a half-dozen manuscripts, all of
which dated from the twelfth century or later; and all but one were of the Byzantine text-type.
Six verses that were not witnessed in any of these sources, he back-translated from the
Latin Vulgate, and Erasmus also introduced many readings from the Vulgate and Church
Fathers. This text came to be known as the Textus Receptus or received text after being
thus termed by Bonaventura Elzevir, an enterprising publisher from the Netherlands, in his
1633 edition of Erasmus' text. The New Testament of the King James Version of the Bible
was translated from editions of what was to become the Textus Receptus. The different
Byzantine "Majority Text" of Hodges & Farstad as well as Robinson & Pierpont is called
"Majority" because it is considered to be the Greek text established on the basis of the
reading found in the vast majority of the Greek manuscripts. The Textus Receptus differs
from the Majority Text in 1,838 Greek readings, of which 1,005 represent "translatable"
[15]
differences.

Modern critical texts[edit]

Karl Lachmann (1850) was the first New Testament textual critic to produce an edition that
broke with the Textus Receptus, relying mainly instead on manuscripts from the Alexandrian
text-type. Although the majority of New Testament textual critics now favor a text that is
Alexandrian in complexion, especially after the publication of Westcott and Hort's edition,
there remain some proponents of the Byzantine text-type as the type of text most similar to
the autographs. These critics include the editors of the Hodges and Farstad text (cited
below), and the Robinson and Pierpont text. Around 6,500 readings will differ from the
Hodges and Farstad text depending on which modern critical text is taken as an exemplar of
the Alexandrian text-type (Wallace 1989).

To give a feel for the difference between the Byzantine form of text and the Eclectic text,
which is mainly Alexandrian in character, of 800 variation units in the Epistle of James
collected by the Institute for New Testament Textual Research, the Byzantine and Eclectic
texts are in agreement in 731 of the places (a rate of 92.3%). Many of the 69 disagreements
involve differences in word order and other variants that do not appear as translatable
differences in English versions. According to the preface to the New King James Version of
the Bible, the Textus Receptus, the Alexandrian text-type and the Byzantine text-type are
85% identical (that is, of the variations that occur in any manuscript, only 15% actually differ
between these three).

The Byzantine type is also found in modern Greek Orthodox editions. A new scholarly
edition of the Byzantine Text of John's gospel, (funded by the United Bible Societies in
response to a request from Eastern Orthodox Scholars), was begun in Birmingham, UK. and
in 2007, as a result of these efforts, The Gospel According to John in the Byzantine Tradition
[16]
was published.

Von Soden divided manuscripts of the Byzantine text into five groups:

x
● K : no uncials, hundreds of minuscules, among them codex 2, 3, 8, 14, 45, 47,
49, 51, 54, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 73, 75, 76, 78, etc.
r
● K : no uncials, no early minuscules, hundreds of minuscules: 18, 35, 55, 66, 83,
128, 141, 147, 155, 167, 170, 189, 201
1 x
● K (subfamily of K ): S V Ω 461
i
● K (Family E): E F G H
k a
● I (also K ), now Family Π: (A) K Y Π; this subgroup is the oldest, but only 5% of
manuscripts belong to it. Majority of them have text mixed with other Byzantine
[17]
subfamilies.
Since the discovery of the Papyrus 45, Papyrus 46, and Papyrus 66, proof is available that
occasionally the Byzantine text preserves a reading that dates from early witness. Examples:

Luke 10:39

Ιησου:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

45

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

75
A W Byz b

bo c[18]: 229 
κυριου: ‫ א‬B D L Ξ 579 892 cop syr

Luke 10:42

ενος δε εστιν χρεια:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

45
 {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

75
A C W Byz

ολιγων δε χρεια εστιν η ενος: B

ολιγων δε εστιν η ενος: ‫א‬

pal[19][18]: 229 
ολιγων δε εστιν χρεια: 38 syr

Luke 11:33

1 13
φῶς: ‫ א‬B F Θ f f

φέγγος:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

45 [18]: 233 
33 Byz

John 10:29

ὃ ... μεῖζον: B it

ὃς ... μείζων:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

66 1 13 [18]: 334 
f f Byz

John 11:32

πρός: ‫ א‬B C* D L X

εἰς:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

66 [18]: 338 
Θ Byz

John 13:26

βάψας: ‫ א‬B C L X 33

καὶ ἐμβάψας:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

 c [18]: 349 
66 A Θ

Acts 17:13

ταράσσοντες:

omitted:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

45 [18]: 441 
E Byz

1 Corinthians 9:7

τὸν καρπόν: ‫ *א‬A B D* G P

ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

46 [18]: 534 
Byz

Ephesians 5:9

φωτός: ‫ *א‬A B D* G P

πνεύματος:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

46 [18]: 598 
Byz

Philippians 1:14

του θεου: ‫ א‬A B (D*) P Ψ 33 81 104 326 365 629 1175 1241 2464

omitted:

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

46 2 [18]: 604 
D Byz

Other examples of Byzantine readings were found in

{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {P}}}

 66
in John 1:32; 3:24; 4:14.51; 5:8; 6:10.57; 7:3.39; 8:41.51.55; 9:23; 10:38; 12:36; 14:17.
[citation needed]
This supports the views of scholars such as Harry Sturz (1984) and Maurice
[citation
Robinson (2005) that the roots of the Byzantine text may go back to a very early date.
needed]
(In 1963 Bruce Metzger had argued that early support for Byzantine readings could
[20]
not be taken to demonstrate that they were in the original text.) Some authors have
[21]
interpreted this as a rehabilitation of the Textus Receptus. Many of these readings have
substantial support from other text-types and they are not distinctively Byzantine. Daniel
Wallace found only two agreements distinctively between papyrus and Byzantine readings.
[22]

See also[edit]

Families of the Byzantine text-type[edit]

● Family Π
● Family E
1
● Family K
r
● Family K
x
● Family K
Families associated with the Byzantine text

● Family 1424
● Family 1739

Other text-types[edit]
● Categories of New Testament manuscripts
● Alexandrian text-type
● Caesarean text-type
● Western text-type
● Textus Receptus

Critical text[edit]
● Novum Testamentum Graece
● Textual Criticism
● Conflation of Readings